Woman says raw food diet makes her look like a teenager

Susan Reynolds, 29, a yoga teacher and entrepreneur from Scotland, credits her raw food diet for keeping her looking so young that people mistake her for a 16-year-old.

Reynolds has eaten nothing but fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts and beans for the past seven years.

After spending six months in India, she became interested in yoga and went on to become a yoga teacher and vegetarian.

"I went for something to eat in a cafe called Red Sugar in Edinburgh, which served raw food," she told the UK's Daily Mail.

"The owners told me a bit about it so I went home, read up on it and decided to give it a go. The difference I felt in a day was incredible so I've done it ever since. I haven't had a hot meal in seven years."

Rather than sticking to three main meals, Reynolds eats lots of serves of fruit and vegetables throughout the day. One of her favourite meals is a cold soup made from a bag of spinach, herbs and an entire lettuce.

While her options for eating out are limited, she said she can cater a great raw dinner party.

"I made a fruit platter for starters — they loved it," she said.

"We had raw mince pies made from nuts, seeds and fruits for our sweet. I ate a giant salad with sprouted breads for my main course."

She's come a long way since her university days when her diet featured everything from McDonald's to Chinese buffets, with plenty of jelly vodka shots too.

She grew up trialling different diets after her mother Susan cured herself of the neurological disease myalgic encephalomyelitis by quitting sugar.

"Mum used to be practically bed-ridden but she reversed it with the sugar-free diet," she said.

"She doesn't have ME any more. I think her experience was one of the things that inspired me."

Is raw best?

Associate Professor Tim Crowe, a nutrition academic at Deakin University, told ninemsn that raw food diets can be very healthy, but they're not the only way to look after your body.

"Raw diets are certainly linked with less risk of certain diseases, but there is no evidence to say it's because the food is raw that you're getting the benefit," he said.

"It's because you're getting lots of fruits and vegetables and unprocessed foods that you're getting the benefits; it's not because they are raw. In fact, cooking food does make food safer and in some cases makes it easier for the body to absorb."

Associate Professor Crowe said people following a raw diet need to be careful to consume enough protein or they risk becoming malnourished.

"It's very restrictive and tough to follow," he said.

"You need to get lots of food variety to ensure you are getting plenty of protein sources and plenty of nutrients. You want lots of different vegetables, grains and fruit in your diet."

Combining different protein sources in each meal is key for guaranteeing your body can absorb enough.

"If you had cereal like bread combined with beans, that makes a complete protein source," Associate Professor Crowe said.

"Do a bit of homework into protein combining, because if you eat just one source of protein, you will become deficient."